wiesinger



Dec. 20, 1960 F. C. WIESINGER PATTERN MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 17. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 D on INVENTOR. FREDERICK C. WIESINGER A TTORNE Y 1960 F. c. WIESINGER Re. 24,912

PATTERN MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed Feb. 17. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CAM SPACING TIME FoR READING PATTERN ADVANCING WAVE.

INVEN TOR. FREDERICK Cwlzsmsaa BY 4Z4; f.

A TTORNE United States Patent PATTERN MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Frederick C. Wiesinger, Feasterville, Pa., assignor to Wildman Jacquard Co., Norristown, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Original No. 2,814,937, dated Dec. 3, 1957, Ser. No. 566,132, Feb. 17, 1956. Application for reissue July 5, 1960, Ser. No. 40,983

9 Claims. c1. 66-50 Matter enclosed in heavy brackets appears in the original patent but forms no part of thisreissue specification; matter printed in italics indicates the additions made by reissue.

This invention pertains to a novel mechanism for selecting knitting instrumentalities such as the needles of an independent needle knitting machine.

It is a general object of the invention to devise pattern control means for knitting machines which shall be eifective for determining the most intricate and extensive patterns or effects in the fabric, which shall be relatively simple and dependable and which shall make possible a greater number of independent feeding stations for a machine of given diameter of needle cylinder.

A more specific object is that of improving the pattern mechanQsm of circular Jacquard knitting mechanisms so that the pattern drums and their patterns shall be rotated and advanced continuously and at a uniform rate at such times in the cycle as a pattern or control for knitting instrumentalities is being used.

A further object is that of providing means of the type descnbed wherein the pattern drums and attendant driving means are continuously rotated when in use thereby to make unnecessary the more complicated and more expensive intermittent motions heretofore utilized.

A more specific object is that of imparting to a series of instrumentality selectors and actuators a wave-like motion both during their selecting motion and while they are being returned to inactive position.

Another object is that of shortening or compressing the angular space about the machine during which or within which a selector or group of selectors controlled by one independent pattern may pass through both a selecting movement and a return motion thereby to bring closer together adjacent cams which act upon these selectors and thus, to increase the number of independent feeding and knitting stations about the machine.

Other objects will become apparent from the following, more detailed disclosure.

In circular, independent needle, knitting machines such, for example, as the circular Jacquard machines one of which is illustrated in United States Patent 2,682,127, a plurality of selecting units are mounted about the machine cylinder and base each of which comprises among other parts, a drum and a pattern passing over and advanced by the drum. These patterns are in endless strip form having perforations adapted to align with a number of parallel slots cut in the drum. The drum is intermittently advanced carrying the pattern with it, and at each step the pattern is read by a series of selector levers having pattern feeling pins or the like, the selectors if rendered effective by the pattern, acting by further influence of, a selector cam tomove a needle or other instrumentality as intended to effect the knitting of a pattern or to produce some other intended fabric variation.

These selectors are preferably of the. general type shown iii-United States Patent 2,281,721, and actually,

dueto the intermittent motion of the drum, a group of lie. 24,912 Rissued Dec, 20, 1960 ice them are moved to selecting position'as a unit, that is,- as many as may be influenced by a single pattern and drum, must all be pressed in after one selector cam has passed that group and before the next has reached it. In addition some angular space between such cams is needed to give time for the return of the selectors although they are returned almost as soon as a cam has released them. Such angular space is also needed for the length of a cam itself and for operation of the drum advancing means, heretofore, a rosette or modified Geneva. motion.

Thus the adjacent spacing or proximity of cams and therefore feeds, is definitely limited since for economy of parts and cost and to keep as simple as possible a relatively complicated mechanism, each drum should be reasonably long and its pattern correspondingly wide. Actually such machines of large dameter have been limited to a maximum of twelve feeding stations. The factor which has contributed most to this wide spacing of selector cams is that incidental to a selecting motion involving all of one group of selectors at once, or that attendant upon the intermittent drum movement.

Now, in the improved means of which this is. a disclosure, the above mentioned dsadvantages are overcome by a novel combination of parts and mode of operation in which all drums and patterns are continuously and uniformly rotated or advanced. The drums themselves are driven by suitable gearing or otherwise, so that, while a pattern or other fabric varation is being effected, they are continuously rotated. Their surfaces are formed with v slots or indentations into which feeler members may extend according to the pattern and these are inclined to.

the length of the drum, preferably along a helix of very great lead. These drums advance a pattern of endless type such as a Verdol strip in which perforations or other surface deformations are formed and which arev likewise inclined to a line perpendicular to the strip length and spaced to align with the slots in the drum.

Pattern sensing or reading means of the type shown in United States Patent 2,281,721 or other equivalent is employed to convey the pattern indications to the in- V strumentalities. These are, of course, acted upon by suitable cams to complete their selecting function. Since the pattern indicia and cooperating drum slots are formed as described and since the pattern is. continuously advanced there are always some selectors which are reading the pattern, some beIng pushed in to engage their,

selector cam and, of course, some being released by a cam to return to inactive position in readiness for further selection. Thus there is a continuous wave of selectors rather than a movement en masse as has heretofore been the case.

The invention will be described in detail by reference to one specific embodiment thereof as illustrated in the accompanying figures of drawing, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a section through a part of a knitting machine as applied to a knitter showing the selecting action. 7,

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a part of a drum. Fig. 6 is a detail view of part of a pattern.

Now referringto Fig. 1, the invention is applied to a, circular, body type machine having a cylinder 10 sup-' ported on a base 11 and slotted in the usual'way for the accommodation of needles 12 which may be of latch or any other type slidable in their slots and capable of 1 varying control for knitting, tuckingor welding or otherwise being specially controlled toeifect patterning or .stitch variation.

A dial (not shown) may or maynot in detail.

be employed; and, of course,"the invention applies to double cylinder machines and to practically all inde-- pendent needle knitters in which there is a relative motion between cams and instrumentalities.

'Here jacks I are provided forneedlesand, of course,

needles-and the jacks have one ormore butts for reasons understood by those skilled in the art. While needles and jacks are cited herein as the instru-- Inentalities which are selected, the invention applies as well to selection of sinkers, pressers, transfer instrumentsand to all others.

'A;'cam ring 13 havingcamsfor knitting andother pur-' poses is rotatable in a recess in cam plate 14 held on a plurality of'posts1'5'; -Ring 13 is drivenby gearing frompower means in a known manner. A dial, if employed, may be held in any convenient way and its dial cams driven through mechanism as'in the Patent 2,082,127; citedfabove. i

As shown in'Figs. 2, 3 and 4' as well, a double drum and pattern selector unit is mounted on base 11, and it is to be understood that a plurality of such units are usually provided extending about the entire base, the number depending upon the size of the machine.

"This unit includes a bracket 16 at each side of which there is journaled' on a spindle 17 a pattern drum 18. While each unitis a double one and a drum and pattern with selectors is to'be found at either'side of the brackets, and differ only inbeing set up asrights and lefts, these are so close-to being Drum 1 8 is driven by gearing including a pinion 19 on afshaft Zt), idler 21 and gear 22 fixed to the end of drum 18; Normally, the shafts20 of'which there is one for each double unit, are driven-from a common drive shaft andz 'are interconnected: They rotate continuously and if the jidler zl is'in mesh withboth the pinion and gear 22 the drumis' rotated continuously.

, 'A series of controls are suitably actuated, for example, as -in United States Patent 2,082,127, to slide the idler 21 into and from mesh with the gear 22. "This" permits the pattern action to be arrested at such times as it is not needed.

Drum 18'ispreferably cylindrical andis provided with sprocket teeth 23 and 24 at its ends, Figs. 3 and 5, and aplurality ofindentations preferably in theforrn of conti'nuous slots 25; These slots are actually helical in form and they are angled so that, as will hereinafter appear, selectors controlled by them are projected inwardly in a wave of such steepness that all functions which must take place in a space controlled by a single pattern may do that.

' The pattern 26; Figs. 2, 3 and 6, may be any flexible strip such as one of paper or cloth backed paper and has sprocket holes 27 and28 adjacent its edges and perforations 2 9 in spaced helically disposed rows which align with and overlie the slots 25 in the drum as the pattern is passed over the latter. These perforations are preferably rectangular in shape and spaced to receive a spring pressed detent30, Fig. 1, carried by'a selector lever 31, of which there are a number for each in'dividual pattern corresponding to the number of instrumentalities.spanned by that unit; These selectors are slidable and pivoted at a rod-32, and a spring 33 connectedto each selector and swims sts t weal h-"at a mrc fp at qns e e nsu duplicates that one only will be described adyantageto use. them with spacedinstrumentalities v pivoted at 36. Each lever has its inner end extending into a slotbeneath its jack J and at'the outer endsisso formed as to bear against the under side of selector 31. While not shown, these levers and selectors are guided in comb-like members so that they are maintained in alignment and register, also resist side thrust due to cam action. I y

For each yarn feeding station there is provided a selector cam which actuallymoves ahead. of theknitting and other cams atthat feed. In.l?ig,l such a cantv 3'7; is shown depending from a post 38 carried by cam ring-.13. These cams are also shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and comprisea blade 3Swhich engages; in the notches 40; in selector ends, also a return cam surface 41' the function of whichis to return selectors quickly after their active function is completed, although of course,.'the spring 33woulddo that anyway but not as quickly. Actually, one supplements the other. As can be seen in Fig. 4,, whereta plurality'of, selector units and their, cams areymore or less, schematically illus=. trated, the direction of movement of cams being indicated by the arrow, spacing between cams is very considerably cut down over that of Fig.1 in United States Patent 2,281,- 721 which represents the prior art. The actual functions; are divided into sectors representing angular cam travel incidental to each. 0f course, the selectors operate in a wave and considering a single selector, it will. be returned. by cam. 41 and maintained in inactive position by its spring 33. The small sector time for reading pattrern" allows the pattern to be movedtoa point where aperforationif the selectoris to be pushed in again, will come under the detent or feeler. The feeler drops into the. perforationand slotand further rotation. of drum 13 carries the selector inwardly on its ,advancing wave? to a position.

in which cam'blade39 engages the selector notch 40. Thus without, unduly steepcam contours, it is possible tospace the carns 37, much closer than heretofore. Actually a gain of about 50 to is attained so a 12 feed may. chinemay have approximately l8'2l feeds while retaining full selectivity, for each instrumentality and while; actually simplifying the, drum driving means.

The continuous drum rotation does away with themore complicated and expensive intermittent drive and, of course, when once set up for it, the slots and patterns may be formed at an angle as easily as according tothe previous practice.

The slots and pattern differ otherwise only in that they are. spaced, somewhat farther apart. That. is necessary since now the advancing, wave requires only a portion of; theforwardmotion of thedrum and pattern while acam is moving alongonly about one-half the distance spanned by a sector corresponding to a single drum and its selectors.

It is to be understood that in the production of some knitted goodssuch as sweater blanks, the pattern is not produced throughout, all the length of material. Known; means is used to render the pattern and certain of the camsineifective at times. The term continuously ro-i tated is therefore intended to pertain to rotation of the drum while a pattern or, other fabricv variation is being; effected.

The pattern levers 31 may, if desired, act directly on nee dles, jacks or other instrumentalities rather than through levers 35 as shown.

The term se1ecting" refers to any preliminary action; upon certain of the instrumentalities to cause them to: sume a dilferentrelationship to others so thatthey may. then pass througha different pathway to-elfect somefunc tion not at thattimeexpected from non-selected; instrue. V mentalities,

In some instances it may be the afiected instrumentalities whichare considered .to producethe pattern while in. othersthereverse may be true, that' is, theselection actsto prevent certain instrumentalities from completing an, ornamental or distinguishingstitch. I}

The term reading is used-todenoteamechanical sens: ing of the physical-pattern itself and refers-specifically-"to' the entry, of detents. or-feelers into the perforationsr and failure to do so at those areas where no perforations are provided.

The slots in the drums are preferably to be formed on a helix as stated, however, that is not entirely essential and a functional slot cut or otherwise formed at the proper angle to a generatrix of the cylinder surface will suffice and the invention contemplates such a modification.

The cams are preferably the movable members in the machine used by way of example, in which event the cylinder, dial and pattern means are non-rotary, but that maybe reversed in instances.

While one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it is to be understood that the inventive concept may be carried out in a number of ways. This invention is, therefore, not to be limited to the precise details described, but is intended to embrace all variations and modifications thereof falling within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In an independent needle knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities, means for differently affecting some at least of said instrumentalities which comprises a drum, helically formed indentations extending lengthwise of said drum, means for rotating the drum continuously and a pattern member in the form of a strip passed over and in driven relationship to the drum, surface de formations in said pattern member aligning and cooperating with the indentations in the drum as the strip is passed over and advanced with the drum, and means for reading the surface deformations in the pattern member, and means which includes the drum and its indentations for transmitting their indications to the instrumentalities.

2. In an independent needle knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities, means for selecting instrumentalities which comprises a drum, slots extending lengthwise of and helically formed in said drum, means for rotating the drum continuously and a pattern memher in the form of an endless strip passed over and in driven relationship to the drum, perforations in said pattern member aligning with the slots in the drum as the strip is passed over and in contact therewith, and means for reading the perforations in the pattern member and [transmitting] which act in conjunction with the rotating drum to transmit their indications to the instrumentalities.

3. In an independent needle knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities, means for selecting instrumentalities which comprises a drum, slots extending lengthwise of and helically formed in said drum, means for rotating the drum continuously and a pattern member in the form of an endless strip passed over and in driven relationship to the drum, perforations in said pattern member aligning with the slots in the drum as the strip is passed over and in contact therewith, and means comprising a plurality of selector levers for read ing the perforations in the pattern member, means normally resisting movement of said levers, and means forming a part of the levers for entering a perforation in the pattern and slot in the drum and engageable with that slot to move the lever a predetermined extent as the drum is rotated.

4. In an independent needle knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities, means for selecting instrumentalities which comprises a drum, continuous slots extending lengthwise of and helically formed in said drum, gearing for rotating the drum continuously while said means for selecting instrumentalities is to be effective, a pattern strip passed over said drum, means including sprocket teeth on the drum and sprocket holes in the strip whereby the strip is driven by the drum, and pattern defining perforations in said strip so spaced and aligned as to register with an underlying slot in the drum while the strip is passing about the drum, and means for 6, reading the pattern and acting from forces imparted by the drum for transmitting the indications thereof to the instrumentalities. i

5. In an independent needle knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities, means for selecting some at least of said instrumentalities which comprises a rotatable member of general cylindrical form, spaced continuous slots in said member inclined to a generatrix of the cylinder and extending in a general lengthwise direc tion thereof, means to rotate the member continuously while effecting a selecting function, a pattern member in the form of an endless strip passed over and advanced with the rotatable member and having a plurality of rows of pattern determining perforations spaced to align with slots in the memberas the pattern passes over it, and means for reading the pattern and conveying its pattern determining indications to the instrumentalities which comprises pivoted levers, means to bias said levers in one direction and other means carried by each lever and adapted to enter a slot in the drum through a perforatian in the pattern against its biasing means through its engagement with the slot in the drum.

6. In a circular, multifeed, independent needle knitting machine having knitting instrumentalities, means for selecting said instrumentalities to control variation of stitch effect knitted thereby which comprises a plurality of selector units spaced about the machine, each of which includes a drum, means common to all units and interconnected for rotating said drums at a uniform rate and continuously during knitting in which stitch variation is effected, spaced slots in the drums, said slots being inclined to a generatrix of the drum surface and a pattern member in the form of an elongated, endless strip of flexible material passed over each drum and advanced thereby, pattern determining perforations in said pattern members aligned with the slots in the drums as the patterns pass thereover, a plurality of selector levers and pattern feeling and reading means at each lever cooperating with each pattern and adapted to enter a slot in the drum through a perforation in the pattern and to move the lever as the drum is rotated and means interconnecting the levers to their respective instrumentalities for imparting thereto the pattern determining movements of the levers.

7. For use in a knitting machine having instrumentalities subject to differentiated movements in the production of patterned fabrics, a pattern means for selecting certain of said instrumentalities according to pattern requirements which comprises a drum and means for rotating said drum continuously during the formation of a pattern, slots in the drum extending in a direction generally lengthwise of the drum and inclined to a generatrix of the surface thereof, a pattern member in the form of an elongated, endless strip of flexible material passed over said drum and advanced thereby, pattern determining perforations in said pattern member aligned with the slots in the drum as the pattern passes thereover, and a plurality of selector levers for reading the pattern and transmitting its pattern indications to the instrumentalities which comprises pivoted levers, means to bias said levers in one direction and other means carried by each lever and adapted to enter a slot in the drum through a perforation in the pattern and to move the lever against its biasing means through its engagement with the slot in the drum.

8. For use in a knitting machine having instrumentalities subject to movements incidental to selection as for producing patterned fabrics, a pattern means for causing instrumentalities to assume differentiated pathways which comprises a drum and means for rotating said drum at a uniform speed and continuously during patterning, a plurality of spaced continuous indentations at the drum surface, each of which is formed at an angle to a generatrix of the drum surface, and a pattern member driven by and in cooperation with said (1mg) pay,

in; spattetnqdetermining'. indicia as :.a part thereof, "and means comprising twaarmedlevers, a pivot about which said levers may rock and spring pressed tdet'entsearried by one arm:0f:- eachf.lever for sensingthe'said indicia and in cooperationwiththe indentations, transmitting such pattern determining indications-ans are derived therefrom to the instrumentalities.

9. "For use in arknitting machine having instrumentalitiestsubject to' movementsincidental to selection. as for producing patterned: fabrics, a ;patts=.rn means for causing instrumentalities to assume differentiated pathways which comprises in rcombination a drum 5 and endless strip 'patterndriven .thereby means to rotate said drum -.continuouslyata uniform rate and cooperatingindicia in the pattern andealigned indentations inithe drum disposed at an angle to a generatrix of the surface of the drum, andg patternsensing means; functioning-Vina selecting wave References Cited in the file of this patent or the original patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,650,083 Lombardi Nov. 22, 1927 1,872,596 Lawson et a1. Aug. 16, 1932 2,281,721 Sirmay May S, 1942 2,696,092

Miller Dec. 7, 1954 

